I'm working with a Project Graduation parent group for the class of 2012. If you aren't familiar with these, it takes a LOT of money to run the all-night lock-in party the night of graduation.
We just held a
Car Smash booth at a local festival this weekend that was a pretty good success. We made about $1260.
Our community has a huge annual Oktoberfest-type festival in May. All types of organizations, both commercial and non-profit. buy booths to sell food, merchandise, crafts, games. There are some large carnival rides and a midway. Live music. The event runs 5pm -midnight Friday, 10am - midnight Saturday, and 11am - 5pm Sunday.
A local towing/salvage company strips an old car of the engine and all loose parts and delivers the car. (This year a truck.)
See a picture
. The area around it is taped off and we sell chances to hit it with a sledgehammer. Our prices were $1 per hit or 6 for $5. But we made all kinds of deals, especially when it was slow. Plus all booths can sell bottled water. A local company donated 10 cases of water for us, which we sold at $1 each. (Plus deals, like buy a $5 hit and get a bottle water free.)
It was tough to find enough people to cover the shifts as our core planning group is small. And it was a hot, tiring weekend. But fun, too.
Our only cost was the $75 booth fee, so we're pretty happy with the results.